Black throughout. Thick in body, but not quite as heavy or substantial in appearance as a Dark Lord or a Cigar City stout. A fairly large dark brown head initially, especially for the style. It doesn't last too long and slides down the glass fairly quickly, leaving spots of stick down the glass. All in all, a gorgeous barrel-aged imperial stout.

The aroma is really lovely. Rich with dark fruits, thick, rich, sweet, and earthy molasses, a mild vanilla, and layers of chocolate. Mild wood and just a bit of the liquor/spirit bite. Very, very nice.

The flavor is just as good as the aroma. Layers of sticky, decadent, bittersweet chocolates, a bit of the spirit and barrel, dark fruits, and just a hint of coconut. A really exceptional complex, layered, but drinkable imperial stout.

Full in body, low to moderate carbonation for the style, but very drinkable. Incredibly sticky. After some sips, I feel like there's melted caramel or chocolate trying to keep my lips closed with their stick. Something special.

Fantastic. A really special barrel-aged imperial stout. Would gladly drink this one again, and again, and again. (1,175 characters)

I have been seeking this one out for some time as I heard many great things about this beer. I was able to land a 550ml swing top growler from a buddy who went to the End of the World Party at Peg’s Cantina & Brewpub in Gulf Port, FL. I was concerned about the growler being 6 months old (12-21-12) and called the brewery which assured me that the beer was going to be still good and may be somewhat infected which kind of turned me off a bit, but since I went out for this beer, I decided to go for it. The beer poured pitch black with razor thin tan head that dissipated quickly as expected. You could bring it back to life after giving the glass a vigorous whirl. I immediately picked up some dark fruit, chocolate, light notes of molasses, and that slight rum booze in the aroma. There was complexity in the flavor which I appreciated especially knowing how old this growler was – malts, caramel, molasses, dark fruit, vanilla, rum and oak. There were zero carbonation; extremely thin mouth feel. Overall, I would have loved to taste this special beer fresh but beggars cannot be choosers. This did still give me that delicious and complex flavor I had been hoping when I cracked open the growler and sure glad to have checked this off my beer wish list. (1,262 characters)

Taste the rare! Big thanks to Mike for splitting this one - I thought for sure I'd never get the chance to sample it, especially now. Comes in a cool looking 500 mL swing-top. It gluggs out in to the glass, very thick and completely black. No head - even the mere ring that outlines the beer is slow to form; possibly a side-effect of being in a growler for a few months, but my thought (and hope) is that the carb for a brew like this is relatively low anyway, so it shouldn't matter much.

The extra "R" in "RareR" supposedly stands for "rum", as this batch was aged in rum barrels as opposed to whiskey barrels in the regular Rare D.O.S., and the first smell reaffirmed that notion completely. Huge rum character on the nose; boozy rum cake, sweet molten chocolates, graham crackers, molasses, a touch of vanilla, and quite a bit of dark fruits. The fruits consist of plum, grapes, and even a bit of apples, and seem to get stronger as the brew approaches room temp. Rum and sweet molasses still remain the leaders of the pack, though.

The first sip reveals quite a bit more of those sweet dark fruits that were so heavy in the aroma; plums, grapes, black cherries, and even some apple skins. Sweet and creamy chocolates come crashing in, soaked in a boozy rum bath. It seemed a bit quiet at first, but the rum character comes out more and more with each successive sip. The rum, chocolate, and dark fruit combination is pretty highly discernable, giving RareR D.O.S. a nice uniqueness in market that's saturated with stouts.

Waves of malts continue to grow in robustness and complexity with time; molasses, chocolate, caramel, and some brown sugar. The oak and woody character is either very low or just completely buried underneath all of the other flavors. The largest components of the barrel aging are definitely the vanilla and the rum itself. The finish is lightly boozy, never getting too hot, with even a mild finishing tartness from the fruits and a sweetness from the chocolates and molasses. Heavy bodied, thick and a bit chewy with an almost-creamy, slick and oily mouth feel.

It's hard to say whether or not this beer lived up to the "hype", because when a beer receives this much hype, your expectations are often raised to unreachable levels. So I'm going to try and forget those expectations and just say that RareR D.O.S. is a damn fine American imperial stout. Unique in many ways and highly complex. I wasn't expecting so much dark fruit sweetness, but it was integrated nicely and the rum provided a nice change of pace. Super glad I got to try this one, it was awesome - thanks, Mike! (2,612 characters)

A: A jet black body that pours as think as motor oil. There was very little head present, the little that there was is lacy and coffee brown.

S: The smell on this was less then I was expecting. There was sweetness from the rum and a decent amount of chocolate and roast.

T: This is very unique. The rum comes out first with a sweet almost candy like flavor. The chocolate then comes forward with dark fruits, plum and raisin. There is a hint of vanilla and oak on the back end of this beer.

M: Very good body. It is silky smooth. I wish the carbonation was significantly heavier though.

O: A great stout. It is worth going after but not worth giving up too much for it. I prefer many stouts to this one. (708 characters)

Got a growler of this stuff from urwithdave a while back and just couldn't help but open it almost right out of the box. Thanks for thinking of me on this one man.

From a 500ml growler into a snifterBottled 21 December 2012

APPEARANCE: Pours out black and viscious but slightly transparent, yielding a small, medium looking tan head with decent retention. Head quickly fades to a faint wisp and ring. Black body and lower levels of carbonation evident. A ring remains but leaves no lacing down the glass. Dark with a nice head, but needs more staying power.

SMELL: A bold nose of roasted malts, dark, pure chocolate, brownies, mocha coffee with a touch of caramel and molasses. Bold and plenty decadent. Bourbon, oak and vanilla in there, as well as lots of coconut, all playing nicely with the roasted, chocolaty base beer. Excellent. Complex, bold, well-balanced and extremely enticing. This is that good.

TASTE: Roasted and chocoalte notes up front with nice pure, dark baker's chocolate before a powerful bourbon barrel finish. Bourbon, vanilla, oak and sweet flavors of caramel, lots of sweet cream and coconut, as well as molasses after the swallow, balanced with a nice dose of bitter dark chocolate. Barrel and base are wonderfully balanced here. The bourbon barrel is a little in forward here with plenty of sweet vanilla cream and coconut sweetness, but the roasted, chocolaty base with browines and molasses is there too. Wonderfully decadent.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Slightly prickly and could be heavier on the palate, goes down fine with a slight scratch anf finishes slightly sticky. Some heat lingers.

OVERALL: Phenomenal stuff. The Nose is unreal and the flavor top notch, so only the slightly light and rough palate keep this from virtual perfection. A creamier and somewhat heavier feel would make this other worldly. Very happy to have had the chance to try this beer, and hope to see more Peg's brews on this side of the pond. You've created a monster urwithdave. Cheers! (2,034 characters)

Something must have been off with the bottle/growler that I got. Pour was as expected for the style, plenty of carbonation. The smell was off old cardboard not pleasant at all, probably the worse part of the beer. The taste had a slight sour cherry, vinous taste that kept growing taste after taste. The mouth feel was not as thick as desired. Honestly, though I hate to say it, this seemed like an infected fill. Really bummed about this as I love quality rum and was looking forward to this. (493 characters)

O- I though this was an outstanding stout. Really close to one of my most recent favorites 2012 Black Tuesday. I like the balance of this beer and all the flavors that are constantly bouncing around. Wish it was as easy to acquire as Black Tuesday or some other huge stouts I've had lately. (853 characters)

500 ml growler served in a Bourbon County snifter. Big thanks to eorwar for bringing this bad boy to our BCBS vertical/horizontal tasting.

A: Pours a dark black color with some cola edges. A thin tan head forms on the pour and recedes to a thin ring. Some splotches of lace are left down the glass.

S: A ton going on here. Marshmallows and rum booze. Oak with some vanilla. Dark chocolate with some raisin-like dark fruit flavors. More sweet than earthy. Brownie with some rum fruitiness.

T: Just like nose. Incredibly smooth booze notes. The rum is sweet and adds a fruitiness to the beer that is very nice. Dark chocolate with some molasses. Raisin sweetness with some bitter roasted malts. A tinge of oak with some vanilla and caramel sweetness.

M: Medium to heavy bodied with a slick and oily mouthfeel. Medium low carbonation with a very smooth finish.

O: Absolutely delicious. Incredibly smooth and the rum barrel really added a unique fruitiness that was enjoyable. Much better than the Rum Huna I had over the summer. (1,031 characters)

(S)- A really nice rich aroma to it overall. Sweet chocolate and molasses/raisin profile. Ever so slightly dry with great barrel characters.

(T)- Similar to the smell pretty much, only a rum-like barrel fruitiness with dark raisin, chocolate, molasses and subtle oak-like vanilla at the end.

(M)- A very smooth carbonation level with a superbly balanced and smooth but malty barrel aged combination. Chocolatey but velvety smooth too.

(O)- An extremely smooth barre-aged stout that is expertly integrated together and well-blended. Easily the most impressive Rum finish I have seen. Definitely lives up to its reputation. Thanks again Eric! (783 characters)

Taste: Same as the nose with the dark fruits, raspberry, and rum dominating up front. The chocolate (almost a "malted" quality) transitions the beer while the rum tinge carries all the way through to the finish. The coconut appears towards the tail end as well. A bit more muddled than the nose but still quite tasty. The dark fruits and the rum play together very nicely.

Mouthfeel: Thin side of thick bodied, low carbonation, a touch syrupy in a good way, with a long lingering rum barrel flavored finish.

Overall: A pretty solid imperial stout that I wish I had more access to. My growler fill was topped off as much as possible and it seems like it was co2 flushed first because the beer has no signs of oxidation / infection that I can discern. A very interesting beer just make sure you let it warm up to fully unlock its complexity. (1,193 characters)

S- Loads of dark chocolate, chocolate cake, vanilla, and coconut. The barrel character is mild but lends some nice rum notes as well as mild sweetness and oak.

T- Again, massive dark chocolate flavor, vanilla, coconut, along with some rum and oak. It's very rich and very complex. The barrel flavors are understated and work very well with the base beer, although I think I slightly prefer the bourbon barrel treatment.

A: Pour is thick and muddy. This one has sat in the growler for about 2 months and looks to be fairly low on carbonation, although a thin layer of mocha colored foam briefly makes an appearance across the top of the beer. Swirling surprisingly provides a consistent ring around the edge of the glass. I'm a bit torn on how to rate the appearance on this one, as I realize the lack of head is in part attributable to this sitting in a growler for 2 months.

S: My first rum barrel stout and I enjoy the contribution to the nose this spirit provides. Picking up a nice amount of dark fruits in this, along with milk chocolate, vanilla, and an underlying roastiness. Smell indicates this will be moderately sweet.

T: Really interesting complexity here. Opens up all fruit, mainly cherries. There is a distinct point when this transitions on the tongue from sweet dark fruits to a roasty dark chocolate with underlying coffee. This isn't an experience I have had with many other beers but makes for tremendously interesting drinking. The rum appears at the very end and ties everything together.

M: The low carbonation apparent on the pour carries over into the mouthfeel. It actually works for this beer though and contributes a silky, creamy, and thick feel. This is one of the thicker stouts I've had; it really coats the tongue.

O: I really enjoyed this beer. Chocolate covered cherries blend with roasted coffee and bittersweet chocolate. The rum presence is light but apparent on the back end. Really glad I had the opportunity to enjoy this one. (1,629 characters)

Pours pitch black with a .5 finger of dark mocha head with poor retention. Lacing is spotty, stringy and sparse with little stick but huge, oily legs that really coat the glass. Decent considering the serving and beer style.

Nose is dark fruit, sweet raspberry, chocolate, cocoa, and roasted malt. Rather subtle with a sweet and very mellow tartness. I wonder if this one is starting to get a bit infected...

Opens slightly tart dark fruit. Chocolate, cocoa, and fudge in the middle with still, a slightly tart and sweet dark prune and plum presence. Finish is molasses, chocolate, and more dark fruit. Aftertaste is a mellow booziness with a slight roasted malt sweet and tartness. This one grew on me with time. Solid overall.

Full bodied with low carbonation. Smooth, thick, and silky in the mouth and goes down warm and subtle. Messy finish with a sticky aftertaste. One of the thicker beers I've had from this style. Real smooth though.

A very well crafted beer overall but this is a far cry from Rare DOS which was one of the best beers of its style. A touch too much fruit presence for my taste and not as sweet as I'd like. However, the feel is there, as is the complexity. Drink this one now if you have it. It's not getting any better with age. (1,348 characters)

A: Pours out pitch black with only a thin creamy brown head. The foam fades into almost nothing, and there is very little lacing to speak of.

S: The nose is milk chocolate, vanilla, dark malt, and barrel aging. This beer smells sweet and inviting, but not over the top sweet.

T: Like the nose, I get a lot of chocolate, some stone fruits, a touch of roast, and some vanilla. This beer is excellent.

M: Full bodied beer. It's sweet and syrupy, coats the palate but moves off nicely. Lingering chocolate and vanilla. The sweetness sticks around for a bit and then fades.

O: This is a fantastic beer. I like my stouts more on the burnt toast side, but the sweetness here is really great. I'm extremely happy to have been able to try it, and I'd love to drink it again someday. (817 characters)

Normally, I'd inquire into the acronyms, but the fact that it's "rarer" soothes my mind. It pours a deep, dark black-brown topped by a half-finger of tan foam. The nose comprises roasted malts, dry cocoa, wood, and a thick layer of dark rum throughout the background. The taste brings in more of the same, with a richer sense of roast and cocoa, and with a mild booziness pervading the proceedings. The body is a solid medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a smooth feel. Overall, a very nice rum-barreled stout, one that would likely be ridiculous if a touch less boozy and if the barrel expressed itself a touch more. As is, it's just really good. (679 characters)

Appearance is viscous and opaque. Almost no head. The nose is heavily rum forward with chocolate and brownie in the background. The taste is decadent. The rum is well integrated with the hefty stout base. Layers of coconut, vanilla, chocolate, and fudge all are at play. The flavors are well balanced and I don't get any of the heat that I got on the nose. Mouthfeel is heavy and smooth. Delicious brew, definitely worth seeking out. (483 characters)

App- This poured out of the growler with a little hiss. I had been holiding it for the right time and SB was that time. A big black inky pour. Along the lines of a BCS or that nature, with less bubbles. A bit flat and still. Maybe a 1/16" of bubbles around the edges.

Smell- This had a lot going on in the nose. It was highly creamy and malty and a bit rich and smooth at the same time. The dark fruits along with the vanilla, oak, rum and bakers chocoalate really rounded it out. Most things were subtle on this and took a while to find them all. Was a bit over temp for me to smell them.

Taste- I enjoyed this but really wasnt blown away. It was smooth and creamy but retained a certain bitter and grainy rum flavor that didnt really do it for me. The dark fruits and the blending of chocolate/vanilla made this one a bit of a off beer for me, but with the hype it was bound to happen. Still a very good stout with a lot of layers and complexity in the glass.

Mouth- The best part of this beer by far. The creamy body was a bit deep and low and the solid low carbonation with its thickness, enhanced all the flavors quite well. A bit delicate and thick at the same time but lots going on and very flavorful.

Drink- This was a huge want of mine and I cant thank Hoppy99 enough. A great beer that I was able to share with a drinking buddy and enjoy while watching the SB. I was a tad let down, but with Whales it happens. Still better than 95% of whats out there. (1,578 characters)